'American Idol': Brian Dunkleman & Ryan Seacrest Nearly Got Physical

In 2002 when American Idol first aired, Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman hosted the show together. Turns out, the fun pair of hosts that fans came to enjoy during Season 1 was far from the reality of what their real relationship looked like. In fact, an argument between Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman allegedly got so heated that it very nearly became physical.

American Idol hosts Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman were a toxic pair

As Screen Rant reminds us, Ryan Seacrest has been the host of American Idol since the very first season. Brian Dunkleman stood alongside him during Season 1 of the hit series. But, made the decision to exit the show after just a single season. Speaking during a podcast recently, the former AI host reveals that his relationship with Ryan Seacrest was never a positive one. In fact, there was one time where things got so bad the two very nearly became physical with each other.

What happened that caused Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman to be such a toxic? Keep reading and we’ll share what we’ve learned.

American Idol Season 1 YouTube Screengrab

People often badger Brian about his decision to leave the show

Speaking candidly about his time on the show and his relationship with his former co-host, Brian Dunkleman admits that a lot of people assume he regrets his decision to walk away. According to the former co-host, people often badger him by shoving the success of Ryan Seacrest in his face.

Turns out, things got pretty heated between Ryan and Brian during a live taping of an episode of American Idol.

At one point, I just looked at (Ryan) and he said, ‘say something Dunk.’ And I said, ‘what do you want me to say, Ryan?’ He said ‘how about we’ll be right back with more American Idol. Cut. Are you going to say one f***ing thing that’s on the teleprompter tonight?’”

Brian recalls that after the incident he had to be escorted away from Ryan to prevent himself from becoming physical with him as he was really upset.

Some happy moments between Brian Dunkleman and Ryan Seacrest

Brian Dunkleman fesses up that things were not always awful between himself and Ryan Seacrest. There were some happy moments when they went out and explored the city together. But, those moments were never filmed or shown on air.

Unfortunately, many American Idol fans still agree Brian Dunkleman’s decision to walk away from the series after just one season was a huge mistake given how popular the series went on to be.